This novel is an experimental writing collaboration by TheGulfCoaster and runnergirl. The story has two perfect halves, a male and female side, which fit together as one. Runnergirl will reveal Emmy's feelings and tell the tale through her perspective, whereas TheGulfCoaster writes from Robbie's perspective. The two stories share mutual dialogue and action where the two characters intersect and thus this is unique venture. Only by reading Emmy's and Robbie's stories, will the reader get the entire story. We sincerely hope that you enjoy our efforts!

This chapter continues in the tale of Robert and Emmy, two lonely people who connected in a cooking class. In Chapter One this pair became close and shared brief moments of intimacy. Chapter Two told of their growing relationship, emotionally and sensually, including their shared phone sex, lust filled fantasies about one another, and future plans for a date. Chapter Three described their phenomenal first date, including dinner, making sweet love for the first time, and spending the night in each other’s arms. During Chapter Four, the couple enjoyed a motorcycle trip and then Emmy came back and left her husband for good, after their affair was discovered. In this chapter, Robert and Emmy have gone away to enjoy a romantic few days in a mountain cabin, giving them time to plan their life together.

We awoke to the rather noisy birds greeting the sunrise and new day. I found my morning wood nestled between Emmy’s ass cheeks for the second time this week but we opted to get up and get a start on our day. The shower in the master bedroom of Melanie’s cabin was smaller than mine at home, but it was fun, nonetheless. We playfully lathered each other up and rinsed off before getting dressed for a bike ride. We hit the kitchen and had some fruit and juice for breakfast.

Once we finished showering and got dressed, I filled both of our water bottles and pushed the bikes out to the driveway, next to my SUV. When Emmy was ready, we put on our helmets and I said, “Let’s stick to the roads and shoulders for today, OK?”

She agreed and said, “I’d just as soon build up to riding trails. I haven’t done much riding lately.”

We walked outside and took our first deep breath of morning mountain air.

Emmy said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up to this kind of scenery every morning?”

I agreed with her and we headed down the road in a more or less northerly direction while Emmy got used to the bike and it’s various controls. We stopped once to adjust Emmy’s bike seat height, enjoyed a little water and made out a few minutes before continuing.

She said, “Honey, I love my new bike. This so much fun! I wish we could do it more often.”

I said, “Before I started the cooking class and met you, weather permitting, I used to go on rides 2 or 3 times a week after work and usually one nice long ride on either Saturday or Sunday. You know it would be really easy to join me on those rides if you lived a little closer.”

She hit the brakes and we stopped. She looked me in the eyes and said, “A little closer . . . or with you?”

I said, “Well, given those two options, I think you know what my choice would be! But wouldn’t it be nice to cook all our meals as a couple, go biking or running, we’d have the pool – and I’ve got to tell you, after last night, I have a feeling I’m going to be shopping for hot tubs soon, too.”

She looked me in the eyes and said, “You know Robbie, I really planned on waiting a while, even though I knew this is where we were headed. I do love you, I know you love me and I want to spend much more time together than we can now – be careful or you might end up with a housemate before long.”

We kissed again and continued our ride, discussing the pros and cons of living under the same roof. She asked me about ‘expenses’ and I told her, being a gentleman, I’d never expect her to contribute to household expenses and that I hoped she’d use her income to make herself happy. Spending it as she saw fit, on things she wanted for her or us, and let me take care of everything we ‘need’.

Our ride continued and we were now just enjoying a leisurely bike ride in the wilderness and talking. We had been gone about an hour and fifteen minutes and I suggested going on another fifteen minutes or so, then turning back. Emmy agreed and we kept going. Just up past the next curve we passed a driveway on the left and Emmy spotted the sign first.

She said, “Oh, can we stop and look at them?”

I said, “What?”

She pointed out the hand painted sign that said ‘AKC St. Bernard pups for sale’ and listed a phone number.

I said, “This fate thing is getting spooky!”

There was a big gate across the driveway, with an intercom panel and a keypad mounted on a post next to the driveway that could probably open the gate if the right code were entered. I pushed the ‘call’ button and a lady answered, “Can I help you?”

Emmy spoke right up and said, “Hi. My boyfriend and I are staying at a house down the road for the weekend and while on a bike ride, we noticed the sign for the St. Bernard puppies. Is there any chance we could look at them?”

The voice said, “Sure, follow the driveway up to the house.”

A motor started to whir and the heavy gate started moving. Emmy and I rode down the winding driveway until a nice ‘chateau’ style house appeared. We just made it near the door when the door opened and a lady came out, followed by a huge specimen of St. Bernard.

A quick check told me it was a male and I said, “So this must be the sire? By the way, my name is Robert and this is my girlfriend Emily.”

It’s nice to meet you, I’m Nancy and you’re right this is Angus, the proud poppa of an eight pup litter. Come on in and you can see the pups and meet Gretel, the momma.”

We followed Nancy out to a fenced in yard and saw the big female watching over the eight pups as they played in the grass. Gretel turned her head to check us out then looked back at the pups. I said, “Years ago, my parents had Saints. I love them as a breed. Can I approach Angus?”

She said, “I’m glad you know dog protocol, Robert. You’d be amazed how many people approach him without asking first.”

I walked over to Angus, offered him my hand and then scratched the back of his neck as I said, “I love the rough coat Saints, my parents preferred the smooth coat variety.”

Emmy said, “May I?”

Nancy said, “Of course”

After sniffing the back of her hand, she scratched the huge dog behind the ears and he just sucked up the attention.

While Emmy was playing with Angus, I said, “How old are the pups now?”

“They’ll be eight weeks old on Monday”

“So they’re pretty much ready to go. Are they weaned and have all their shots?”

“Yes and they all have been checked for hip dysplasia and have RFID chips, too.”

“Are you interested in a pup?”

“I miss having a dog and I wasn’t too interested in getting one while I was living by myself, but I think I may have talked Emily into moving in to my house with me.”

“Do you have room for a dog that could end up the size of Angus?”

I said, “He is an exceptionally big St Bernard. I’ve got a big house built on three lots. None of the yard is fenced in, but I would be building the dog a proper kennel if I get one although I’m sure he, or she, would be an indoor dog. Are they all the same price?”

“We’re getting six-fifty for the males and seven-fifty for the females. They are AKC registered and the sire and dam both come from champion pedigree lines. Would you be showing the dog?”

“I’m not sure, that’s a time consuming and expensive proposition. I know I will be giving them obedience training – a dog that size HAS to be well trained. Can Emmy and I get close to Gretel and the puppies?”

“She’s a very gentle dog.”

We all went into the little knee-high pen Gretel and the Pups occupied and we both let her check us out before looking at her puppies. Nancy excused herself to run to the house to get something for the animals.

Emmy said, “Oh, Rob. These dogs are so precious! Look at the one that’s mostly brown! I just want to cuddle with it.”

I said, “They’re all good looking dogs. I’ve never seen a whole litter of pups where each and every one had a symmetrical ‘mask’. I wish we could have them all.”

Emmy looked at Gretel and said, “Probably not when they all got to be her size. Can you excuse me for a minute? I need to ask Nancy if I can use a restroom.”

I said, “Sure, Baby. I’ll wait here and play with the puppies!”

I kept gently playing with the dogs and Emmy went into the back porch where Nancy had gone. It was only a minute before they came out again and Emmy said, “Are you about ready to go, Baby? We don’t have that much weekend left.”

I said, “Sure Emmy. Just let me give all these cute puppies a kiss goodbye first.” I paid a little attention to Gretel and each of the pups then left the pen, then added, “Don’t be too surprised if you see me back here, Nancy . The puppies are so precious!”

We both shook hands with Nancy at the front door and I gave her one of my business cards to leave her with the impression my interest was a little more than casual. Emmy and I headed back towards Melanie’s and I said, “I’d love to get one of those pups, they were so cute.”

Emmy said, “Why don’t you wait a week or two, we’ll be done with our classes soon and maybe you’ll talk me into moving in with you by then.”

I said, “OK. I’d have to build a kennel first anyhow.”

Emmy and I rode the rest of the way back to Melanie’s cabin, talking about the puppies and beautiful scenery and once we put the bikes back inside I said, “You know, I’m getting hungry!”

Emmy said, “What do you have in mind?”

I went down the list of what we brought with us; we decided to keep it simple for lunch and we ended up making grilled ham and cheese sandwiches along with a handful of potato chips and a pickle spear. We worked together in the kitchen making our lunch and decided to eat them out on Melanie’s deck on the patio table looking northeast with a beautiful view the two highest peaks in the range that made ‘Old Saddleback’.

There was a relatively small area of manicured land surrounding Melanie’s cabin before the thicket of Chaparral started. Oak trees were visible just beyond the scrub and I was busy enjoying the distant scenery when Emmy tapped my shoulder and pointed to the edge of the property where a pair of Mule Deer had just came into the clearing and were feeding on the woody vegetation at the edge of the clearing. Emmy quietly picked up her i-phone and took a little video of the animals. A noise off in the distance seemed to startle them and they scurried off just as we were polishing off the light lunch.

Emmy said, “Melanie told me that she’s seen Bobcat and Mountain Lions from her deck, too!”

I said, “That could be kind of scary!”

“That’s what I told her but she said, they’re rarely seen this close to human dwellings, they apparently prefer living deeper in the woods.”

We picked up our dishware and I said, “Care to enjoy the hot tub for a while?”

She said, “I’ve got a better idea,” then took my hand and let me back to the bedroom.

She had me sit on the edge of the bed and then stripped her tee shirt off in one slick motion, followed by the stretchy sport’s bra she was wearing beneath the tee. She then walked up to me and pulled my tee over my head, tossing it in a heap near where she had thrown her own.

After kicking off our shoes, Emmy pushed me back and lay down on top of me while we kissed. I couldn’t resist fondling her boobs a bit and once her nipples responded, I rolled us both over and began kissing and licking downward toward her chest. I twirled my tongue around her rapidly hardening nipples and she began to moan.

I began fumbling with the button on her jeans and she reached in vain for mine. I accommodated her by rotating my body around a bit so she could reach the button on mine without any further trouble. It was only a minute or so longer when we both managed to rid each other of the balance of our clothes and settle into a nice leisurely ‘69’.

I spent an excessive amount of time gently licking her pussy and sucking on her clit, the whole time she was giving me a masterful blowjob. As she became more and more animated, I began lightly nibbling on the tiny appendage and Emmy let my cock out of her mouth and said screamed as an orgasm washed over her. She grabbed my head and gently pulled it towards hers.

When we were face to face, she said, “I need you Robbie! Make love with me, please?”

I kissed her as I moved between her legs where she used a hand to guide my cock into her hot, wet opening and we began fucking with long, slow strokes. I could feel her fingernails raking down the length of my back in response to my thrusts.

She said, “Oh, Baby. This feels so good!”

I said, “It gets better every time.”

The sounds we were making quit being words about then and became more unintelligible, animalistic sounds. In order to stave off our orgasms, we decided to change positions. I rolled over and Emmy climbed on top of me and started riding me using moves I believe she learned from watching Shakira videos. This position allowed me to get at her boobs and the more aggressive my fondling became, the more she seemed to like it. At one point, without missing a beat, she leaned forward so we could kiss and her moves changed from the ‘grinding’ moves she used when she started to moves where she was moving up and down on me by only using her hips.

After our kiss, she looked in my eyes and said, “Doggie style? Please?”

I nodded and she got off me to assume the ‘all fours’ position. I got behind her and slipped my cock back inside her. I resumed fucking her with long slow strokes while looking at her perfect ass. She seemed to be trying to increase the speed and intensity so I grabbed her by the hips and started fucking her as hard and fast as I could. She quit supporting herself with her arms and rested her chest directly on the bed and one hand went under her where she began furiously rubbing her clit while we fucked.

The sensation, and view, was incredible and I was rapidly approaching the point of now return and I took what I thought might be a chance and brought my right hand down on Emmy’s right ass cheek, not hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough to make it a little red. She moaned in response so I tried the left cheek as well, Emmy moaned even louder so I switched back to the right side again. I gave her more little smacks and we continued until Emmy’s moans became long, drawn out groaning.

She said, “Oh, Robbie, I’m gonna come!”

I said, “I’m with you, Baby. I’m ready, too.”

We kept going and when the ‘moment’ came, I plunged in as deep and hard as I could and erupted at the precise moment that Emmy screamed, “I’m coming!”

I smacked her on the ass one last time as I was sending streams of cum into her depths and she screamed, “Oh, yeah!”

Neither of us moved again until both of our orgasms passed, then Emmy pulled away from me, my heavy cock plopped out of her pussy. She rolled onto her side then pulled me down next to her.

We kissed and Emmy said, “I could count on one hand the number of times I came simultaneously with a lover. I’m so happy that two of those times were with you and two other times we were so close. I just know the sex is going to continue to get even better, although I can’t imagine how. I love you Robbie.”

“I love you, Emmy. I’m so happy we’re together!” We got up off the bed and I said, “How about that hot tub now?”

“Yeah, I’m ready now!” We grabbed a couple towels and I talked Emmy into a glass of the Chenin Blanc before going out on the deck and getting into the hot tub again. We sat there sipping our wine, watching the scenery and talking.

Emmy said, “So, this moving in together idea – are you sure? I mean REALLY sure?”

“Emmy, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life!”

The hot tub was considerably hotter this time so we got out after a short time. We weren’t ready to eat yet, but we decided we wanted to work on a fairly elaborate meal, so we decided to plan a bit to make a really special meal to enjoy for what was most likely our last dinner at Melanie’s cabin. We went into the bedroom and got dressed again.

I told Emmy that I had brought our class recipe packet with us and all the ingredients to make Melanie’s ‘Yellow Fin Tuna with Wasabi’ and planned to serve it with some brown rice and a bag of frozen Chinese vegetables which included baby corn, broccoli florets, water chestnuts and Parisian carrots. She told me it sounded delicious then started finding all the vessels and utensils we would need for preparing our dinner. I agreed to grill the Tuna and Emmy said she would handle making the rice and steaming the veggies.

Emmy asked, “So Hon, what would you like to do after dinner tonight?

I looked over the living room and said, “I’d be open to the idea of firing up the propane fireplace, turning on the stereo and cuddling under a blanket on the couch with you while we talked about our future.”

“Ooh, I’d like that,” she said, then cooed, “Anything in particular about our future you’d like to discuss?”

“I’ve got a few topics in mind.”

“I’m excited about our future, Babe. It’s like reading a good book for the first time! Every time I turn a page, the story keeps getting better and better! When we met less than two weeks ago, I had no idea that I could fall so deeply in love this quickly. I don’t have a single doubt that we were meant to spend our lives together! So yeah, I’d love to cuddle and talk about it with you.”

Time came for us to start working on our dinner and Emmy started the rice first since it would take the longest while I went to start the grill and clean the grate. By the time I went inside to get the tuna steaks, Emmy told me the steamer was ready. She dropped the veggies into it just as I put the steaks on the grill. About three or four minutes later, I came in with the steaks grilled to perfection and Emmy had prepared the wasabi as well as doing the rice until it was light and fluffy and the veggies until they were perfectly steamed to that moment where they were hot but still crispy. We created, or at least tried to create a ‘Melanie’s on the Water’ worthy presentation, and felt we did a pretty good job. We added a couple more glasses of the Chenin Blanc along with a glass of water for each of us and enjoyed a delicious, romantic dinner looking out over the magnificent vista through the big bay windows on the back wall of Melanie’s cabin from the candlelit table.

It didn’t take much time to clean up afterwards so we went into the bedroom and changed into the sleepwear we brought, Emmy looked gorgeous in a ruby red satin camisole and panty set, I was wearing a set of satin draw-string PJ bottoms and a matching pajama top. When we got back to the living room, Emmy spread the blanket we brought back with us on the couch and found a ‘mellow’ rock channel on Melanie’s satellite radio receiver then turned the handle controlling the gas on the propane fueled fireplace and pushing the igniter button. Meanwhile, I got the second bottle of Champagne , two flutes and the remaining strawberries and chocolate and set them down on the cocktail table then joined my princess on the couch.

We kissed and told each other ‘I love you’ then I opened the Champagne and poured us each a glass while Emmy opened the containers with the berries and sauce.

Emmy asked, “This isn’t going to be a typical evening for us once we’re living together, is it?”

“Emmy, I’d love to spend evenings exactly this way as often as you like. That’s partly what I was hoping we could talk about!”

“This is a nice treat, but I wouldn’t expect all our evenings to be like this.”

“Sweetheart, you tell me what makes you happy, and that’s precisely what you’ll get. My sole goal in life for now and into the future is to make you as happy as possible! Something else I want to promise you, Emmy. I’m not one of those guys who is trying to tear you away from the life we had before we got together, so I don’t want you ignoring your friends or family just because we’re together now. Also, I want you to consider my house – or perhaps now, it’s finally a home, yours as well, so anyone you’d feel comfortable inviting into your house in welcome in mine.”

“Oh wow. I just thought of a couple phone calls I need to make. No one in my family knows what’s going on yet! I can’t see an upside to one of my family members or other friends dropping by John’s house unexpectedly. I’d hate for his version of the story to be the first one they heard, I know they wouldn’t hear the whole story, and I’m not even sure it would be the truth.”

“I can’t imagine him admitting how he’s been treating you and all the cheating he’s done, either.” I held up an imaginary checklist and crossed off an item before going on, “Do you love it up here as much as I do?”

She looked around and replied, “How could anyone not love it up here? Why do you ask?”

“Around the end of the year, I’m going to get a pretty decent bonus from work and as much as we both love it, I was thinking about using it for a down payment and buying a lot up here, then a few years down the road, build a cabin similar to this for us. What do you think?”

“It would be nice to have a private little getaway, but it has to be so expensive!”

“It would be fun doing some research though, right?”

“It doesn’t matter what we do, when we’re together, everything is fun! I thought that all that was missing from my marriage was intimacy but I know now that it was lacking so much more! I love you, Robbie.”

“I love you too, Emmy and I promise you that you’ll never feel our relationship is lacking in any respect. I do need to ask you something, though. Would you object to me spending some time over the next weekend or two to build a fenced in kennel outside the pool cage? After this morning, I’m more certain than ever that I’d really like to get a dog and with us living together, I think it would be a lot of fun.”

“You know what, I think I’d enjoy sharing a dog with you – I’d even be willing to help you build that kennel, I’m not afraid of a little hard work or getting my hands dirty. Then when it’s done, we can spend some time and find the perfect puppy. Maybe Nancy will even have one or two left, those were such cute puppies!”

“They were, just remember how big Angus and Gretel are and make sure you think you’d like living with dogs that big. They’ll be full grown in about a year.”

“Remember me telling you about my second dream, where we were walking a big furry dog?”

“Vividly, as a matter of fact, why?”

“Gretel could have easily been the dog in that dream. I’ve never had a big dog, but I’ve always wanted one just like her.”

“That’s one more thing off the list. Do you have any plans or ideas you’d like to discuss?”

She climbed on my lap facing me and said, “Just one,” then we kissed passionately. “We are going to have an incredible life together, aren’t we?”

“I promise you we will!”

She kissed me again then sat down next to me and we began feeding each other strawberries and drinking Champagne while we continued talking.

Emmy said, “So, would you let me borrow your SUV again on Monday? I’d like to start moving a few of my things over.”

“Absolutely. You don’t even have to ask!”

“Great! I think Jenn has Monday off, too maybe I’ll see if I can’t get her to help me and while I’m out, I’ll take Melanie’s keys back to her, too.”

“We need to discuss some kind of a thank you gift for Melanie, as well! We can’t let a generous offer like this one go unacknowledged.”

“I agree! We’ll have to think of something really nice for her! I have lifelong friends that would never be that generous with me and here, we’ve only known Melanie a couple weeks.”

We decided we had done enough talking, so we spent the rest of the evening consuming the Champagne , berries and chocolate mixed with lots of cuddling and kissing. I can’t speak for Em, but I was happier than I had ever been. Emmy did seem to be really happy as well and that increased mine another notch.

Once the Champagne and berries were gone, we decided it was time for bed. We shut off the fireplace and all the lights before heading into the bedroom and getting between the covers. We lay there making out and of course, as it happens, we both became aroused.

I said, “I’m fine either way, but it appears whether our minds want it or not, our bodies are interested in having sex. Would you like to make love again or save it for tomorrow?”

“Honestly, I’m fine either way but I was really hoping for some more wake up sex – that was so much fun.”

“That was fun! I’d be happy to enjoy sex with you first thing tomorrow morning.”

She replied, “So it’s a date then?”

We kissed again, found a comfortable position in each other’s arms and drifted off into a very contented sleep. This time when I woke up I was on my back, Emmy had loosened the draw string on my bottoms and was stroking my morning wood while looking at my face. I glanced down to look at what she was doing and her eyes were bright and happy and she had a brilliant smile on her face.

I said, “What ‘cha got there?”

She said, “It appears to be a cock – and a really nice one at that! I’m thinking about riding it for a while if that’s OK.”

“You won’t get an argument out of me, Emmy. Why don’t you sit on my face for a while so I can make you as ready as you seem to have made me?”

“I wish I could take credit for it, but honestly, that’s the way I found it when I woke up. I was just . . . Um . . . preserving it for you.”

“Well done! She climbed off the edge of the bed peeled her panties down then climbed over my face and I began eating her. I licked her pussy and paid attention to her clit and as I made her more and more turned on, she began grinding on my face. She wouldn’t let me bring her to orgasm though, much to my dismay and got up before it arrived and lowered her hot wet pussy over my throbbing cock, essentially fucking me while I played with her boobs under the lacey camisole top.

She once again used her Shakira-like moves as she rode me and considering how close we were when we started, I wasn’t surprised at all when we announced our impending orgasms at the same moment. I felt the first stream of cum leave my cock just before Emmy’s orgasm started and once again, it was arguably another simultaneous orgasm. Without allowing my cock to slip out of her, she collapsed on top of me and we kissed passionately.

Once our orgasms passed, we got up, showered together, dressed then slowly began getting packed up to go home. Emmy prepared some fruit and juice while I loaded the first few things in the back of the truck. When we were done eating, we prepared all our kitchen stuff and made the kitchen exactly the way we found it and loaded that stuff in the truck. We were more or less ready to take off, but we chose to take a little walk around Melanie’s property. We walked in each other’s arms admiring the scenery and ‘atmosphere’. We both commented on how the air ‘felt’ and ‘smelled’ in this rustic, for the most part undeveloped area, and how all the animal sounds we heard sounded foreign to us.

After an hour or so, we double checked everything in the cabin, secured it, mounted the bikes back on the rack and headed home.

About half way home, my cell phone rang and the ring tone told me it was Pam. I handed the phone to Emmy and said, “Here, will you get it?”

She looked rather puzzled until she looked at the display, the pushed ‘talk’ and said, “Hi, Pam! Actually, we’re on our way home from the mountains. You know Melanie, right? Yeah THAT Melanie. Anyhow, she has a beautiful cabin up off of Santiago Canyon Road she let us use over the weekend. Guess what? I’m moving in to Robbie’s tomorrow! Yeah I’m so excited.” She said, “Robbie, she wants to talk to you, now.”

I said, “Tell her I’ll call her back once we get home, OK?”

“Did you hear? OK, I’ll tell him. I’ll talk to you a bit later then. Bye, Pam.”

“Pam say’s she’s happy for us and she’ll talk to you later.”

“That’s cool, I prefer not to use the phone when I’m driving, especially on roads like this one!

The travel time passed quickly and we pulled in my driveway before we knew it. I let Emmy out of the truck and we walked up to the front door and into the house.

Emmy looked around from her vantage point in the foyer and said, “Yeah, I think I will enjoy living here.”

I kissed her and said, “Baby, you just made me the happiest man in the world.”

“I bet I can make you even happier if I try,” she said with a self-confident attitude.

I replied, “You know, I bet you can, too.”

I told her to relax and that I would bring our stuff in and Emmy said, “I don’t think I’ll be taking anything back to Jenn’s. I might as well leave it here.”

I said, “I’ve got one tall-boy dresser up stairs that is completely empty, at least half of the walk in closet is empty and I can bring up one of the other lo-boy dressers with a mirror from one of the guest rooms if we need it. You mentioned John knew you hadn’t spent the night at home because of things missing off your vanity. Did you leave it behind or is it one of the things you put in storage?”

“I left it behind to remind him of what he lost. All I took was personal possessions and knick-knacks from my family. I didn’t bring any furniture at all.”

“We’ll have to hit Aria. I know when I bought my bedroom set; they offered a really nice illuminated vanity that matched that I’ll get for you. I’m sure the set is still current so if we need more storage space, we can get another dresser or maybe the armoire I passed on.”

“I don’t have that many clothes to begin with.”

I said with confidence, “You will.”

I took the bikes off the rack first and wheeled them into the garage, then took the coolers inside. I didn’t ask her to do anything with them, but when I went out to bring in more stuff, Emmy began emptying the coolers, putting things away, in the dishwasher, fridge or trash, depending on where they went. When I took the clothes in, I left them in the utility room so they could be sorted, and the dirty laundry washed. I put everything else on the work benches in the garage then went in to be with Emmy again.

We finished our coming home chores and I said, “So, may I have the privilege of you spending the night with me again or do you think you should go back to Jenn’s?”

She put her arms around my neck and said, “I definitely plan on sleeping with you tonight.”

Speaking of that, I should probably call Jenn and you promised to call Pam back, too!”

“Yeah let’s get that out of the way so we’ve got the rest of our evening free.”

I took out my phone and redialed the last call while Emmy called Jenn on hers. We talked for probably ten minutes or so and I filled her in on everything, minus the sexual details of course, and the end result was a good friend who accepted what was going on and felt I was making a good decision and doing the right thing. I thanked her and hinted at the possibility of a sort of ‘housewarming’ celebration coming up. I told her to keep it a secret, but that after this last weekend, I was thinking about buying a hunk of property in the mountains with the idea of building a cabin up there in the not too distant future. She asked me if I really liked it that well and I told her that the two days and two nights in Melanie’s cabin were the most romantic of my life. She asked if I thought it was the location or the company. I told her that it probably was the combination but that spending a couple days and a night alone at home with her wasn’t nearly as romantic, so the venue at the very least added to the effect.

We ended up hanging up right after that and I went out to the pool cage where Emmy was still talking to Jenn. When she saw I was free, she said good bye and said she’d talk to her again soon.

Emmy said, “All done?”

“Yep. How did Jenn feel about the ‘developments’?”

“She said she knew it was coming and only a matter of time and that she was really happy for us. She’s also taking tomorrow off to help me move again.”

“Cool, so what do you want to do now?”

“Well, we should wash the sheets and towels from the cabin for Melanie and since I have so few clothes here right now, I need to do some of my laundry before tomorrow, too.”

We ended up doing all the laundry in the entire house then decided on some Chinese Food from Panda House. While we ate, we addressed some of the details that came up because of Emmy moving in, address changes, insurance policies, banking and that sort of thing. She told me that many of those things were not going to be a problem and that thankfully; she had been dealing with her own finances and not co-mingling funds and felt that family court would easily be able to sort everything out when the time came.

I excused myself for a moment, ran to my ‘office’, which was actually a spare bedroom I had furnished with a desk, computer station and was where I handled my personal business. I went into the box I kept in the desk and retrieved a key for the outside doors which were all keyed alike and a key to get in the doors of the pool cage. I also had a spare remote control for the overhead door that I grabbed as well. When I got back out to Emmy, I presented her with the keys and remote and thanked her for coming into my life.

Emmy looked down at the keys and remote then said, “We really are living together, aren’t we?”

I said, “Yep. So, feel like going up to OUR bedroom now?”

She said, “I like the sound of that, Baby. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day – for both of us.”

We turned out the lights, secured the doors and walked hand in hand up the stairs. When we got there, we quietly stripped out of our clothes leaving me in boxers and Emmy once again pulled on one of my oversized tee shirts.

I looked at her and said, “I can’t believe how beautiful and sexy you look even in one of my old tee shirts.”

She flipped up the bottom hem showing me a lack of panties and said, “Does it have anything to do with the fact I’m going commando?

“No, going commando doesn’t affect how beautiful or sexy you are, but it most definitely will have a ‘growing’ effect on me.”

We climbed into bed, cuddled in each other’s arms and gradually drifted off to sleep.

I woke up just a bit distressed that I didn’t have my princess lying next to me, but the next thing I sensed was the aroma of bacon and coffee wafting up the steps. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I awoke to the smell of breakfast being prepared. I pulled on a tee-shirt and stumbled down the steps.

I said, “I sure missed my spooning buddy this morning! But I guess with this layout, I shall forgive you this time.”

Emmy more or less fell into my arms when I moved directly in front of her and she joyfully replied, “Welcome to our first day together, Babe!” She went on, “I can’t promise that you will have such service everyday but I will certainly try very hard to make this house a home.”

“I have no doubt that you will, Emmy. Actually, you already have . . . I can’t describe how wonderful it was to wake up this morning, knowing that you were somewhere in the house and that we were sharing a life together.”

After a few hugs, we sat down at the table in the big kitchen and enjoyed Emmy’s breakfast of a Western omelet, bacon, potatoes and the coffee. As soon as I finished eating I ran back upstairs to get ready for work.

When I came back down, I said, “I have my phone on me all day so text or call whenever you want to alright? I know that you have lots to do so please pace yourself sweetie. What time would you like me home for dinner? I get off at 5, I'll be home right afterwards.”

I could see the wheels turning in Emmy’s mind, going over everything she had to accomplish and she said, “Baby, I'm planning a surprise for tonight's dinner. Could you find something to occupy your time at work and try to arrive no earlier than 6 o' clock so you don't spoil my surprise?”

"Emmy, Honey. For you, anything."

I grabbed a bit of Emmy’s naked ass when I kissed her goodbye and said, ““Six it is . . . I can’t wait already!” I let out a soft whimper with the realization that I had to leave, buoyed only with the knowledge that we would be together for the most part, except for when we were at work.

As I pulled away, I saw Emmy waving to me with a smile on her face and I waved back, wishing I could have stayed behind to help. I made it to work and announced to a few of my closest friends there that I now had a live-in girlfriend and my ‘bachelor pad’ had finally become a home.

I received text updates from Emmy several times through the day, letting me know what she had accomplished and what she still had left to do. When it got close to quitting time, I called her cell phone, expecting that she most likely wasn’t done yet and most likely still running errands. I said, “Hi babe, how are you doing?”

“Hi honey! I am doing so great! I can’t believe that I got everything done and I still have energy for the dinner tonight. Your love must be an energy boost or something.”

I chuckled at the remark and said, “Maybe it is! So is Jenn still with you?”

“Yes, she has been such a lifesaver,” she said. “She is going to stay here until dinner and I promised her extra portions of everything!”

“Sounds like a deal, babe.” I heard an unidentifiable noise through the phone and said, “Hey what’s that? What is going on over there?

“Oh it’s nothing,” she claimed. “We have the TV on while we’re cooking.”

I knew I could trust Emmy without a single doubt, so I dismissed the noise as a totally innocent sound. “Alright then,” I said. “I will see you in thirty minutes. I have a few things to finish up first.”

She said, “Take your time sweetie. See you soon.”

The moment I walked through the door I spotted Emmy and Pam standing there in the foyer and said, “Wow! Pam, I didn’t expect to see you tonight!”

“Are you surprised?” she said, “I hid my car so you wouldn’t know I was here.”

Emmy said, “Hi Honey, we’re having a dinner party tonight to celebrate!

I heard the ‘mystery noise’ I heard on the phone again and puzzled, I said, “What the?”

“Surprise again! We’ve added to our little family! Now close you eyes and I will show you.”

Emmy covered my eyes so I wouldn’t peek, took my arm and led me down the hallway. I could hear Pam giggling behind me as we walked. Then, Emmy removed her fingers from over my eyes and said, “Alright, you can open them now. Tada!”

I looked forward, then down where I saw Jenn with two St. Bernard pups. Stunned, and honestly knowing the answer already, I said, “Oh, my gosh! Are those two of Angus and Gretel’s pups?”

“Yes! Can you believe it? I picked them up just a few hours ago.”

As I stepped over the wall of the pen, I said, “I can't believe you did this! I love you so much!”

Emmy joined me in the pen then where we shared a hug and kiss before playing with and holding the dogs. Meanwhile, Jenn got out and stood next to Pam and they both started taking either photos or videos of us playing with the puppies.

Emmy said, with a look on her face as if she seeking approval, “Babe I have to tell you that I was only going to bring home the male; the one that I had spotted yesterday.” Then looking at the lighter colored female pup, added, “But this feisty little girl refused to be left behind!”

Reassuring everything was OK, I said, “That's OK, they'll be better off with a friend around!”

Jenn piped up, “That’s what I said!”

I was so happy, playing with the pups who were crawling on my lap, fighting for attention and thinking about it for a second, I said, “I love these little guys!” Then pointing to the brown male first, So,” pointing to the brown one, “If this is Mel, what is this little cutie’s name going to be?”

“Well I hope it’s alright . . . but Jenn suggested Annie, so together they make Melanie...who, by the way, is coming a little later from the restaurant tonight.”

With a smile on my face that just simply wouldn’t go away, I said, “Aw, that's too cute! I wonder what she is going to say?”

Almost as if on cue, the doorbell went off and our new puppies both yipped in response.

Emmy seemed incredibly happy, jumped up and ran toward the front door saying, ““That must be her; let me open the door.” She opened the door wide and I heard her say, “Hi Melanie! So glad you made it. Come on in!”

Meanwhile, I had gotten up and walked out to greet our guest just as she said, “Hi you guys. I love your place!”

I said, “My house is even more special now - look at the surprise I came home to!”

Melanie squealed, “Oh wow, are those from Nancy, the breeder down the road from the cabin?”

Emmy said, “Yes they sure are! They are my housewarming present to Robbie since I moved in today!” Then she asked me, “Babe, why don’t you give Melanie a tour while I put the finishing touches on dinner?”

I agreed, of course and I led Melanie out to the pool cage to start the tour and said, "So here's my pool, although I've got to say, following last weekend at your cabin, I'm interested in getting a spa like yours now."

“You won't regret it, I take it you enjoyed the spa then!"

"Oh, yeah!"

Mel said, "I would have preferred a pool, too, but I couldn't be there often enough to maintain it properly."

"So you don't have a pool at home either?"

"Nope."

I said, "Well, any time you want to take a dip, just call - if we're around, you are more than welcome to come here."

Mel bent down to feel the water, "Mmm, warm! I might just take you up on that offer!”

We walked back in the house past the kitchen and Mel said, "Very nice kitchen, Rob. Much nicer than I expected the kitchen of a single guy to have!”

We headed down the hall to the guest rooms, past the puppies. while peeking in each of the rooms, She said, "I went down and saw Gretel's puppies shortly after she had them a couple months ago. St. Bernards are such great dogs - so gentle and loyal."

I said, "Yes they are! My parents raised them when I was younger. Emmy getting them was a total surprise, too. This weekend, I was going to start building a kennel out back where a dog could play safely when it wasn't inside and I even gave Nancy one of my cards and told her to not be surprised if I came back for one - then I get home from work today and Emmy surprised me with the little boy and girl. When we were at Nancy's, we talked about getting the male and naming it Mel, after you - it was pure coincidence that you had a rather unique name that allowed her and Jenn to name them Mel and Annie so in essence, they're both named after you to remind us that if not for your class, we might have never met and without the offer of your cabin, we would have never found the pups."

Mel said, "I knew there was a connection between you guys since the beginning of the first class, I never expected this but I'm extremely happy for you too. I think your relationship is going to be one of those that other people look to for an example of the ideal relationship that people aspire to."

Rob said, "Thanks, Melanie. I certainly hope you're right. When I found Emmy I was looking for happily ever after and hope I found it. So would you like to see the upstairs, too?"

Mel nodded and we walked up the staircase and I showed her the master bedroom and bath then the other upstairs bedroom. She said, "You guys will be very happy here."

I said, "Until Emmy agreed to move in, it was only a house, but her living here made seem like it might become a home. When she created our little 4 legged family today, it instantly became that home."

We walked back down the stairs and Emmy said, "Honey, dinner is ready!"

Complimenting the cooks, I said, “It smells delicious, whatever it is!”

Melanie agreed, “It sure does Emmy. It will be so nice to have someone cook for me for a change!” After we sat down at the big table in the dining room, she added, “So you guys are a real couple now, huh?”

I said, “Yep, and I've never been happier in my life!”

Emmy nodded in agreement and added, “Me too and Melanie, we have you to thank and thus I want you to know that we named the puppies after you. Their names are Mel and Annie.”

“Awwwww, you guys, that's so sweet!”

Emmy then produced a big gift basket and presented it to Melanie as a thank you gift for the use of her cabin and said, “And we wanted to give you this. We know that you work very hard and that there really isn’t any way for us to repay you, but hopefully you can use these bath products to relax from the grind of the restaurant.”

Melanie said, “I love the stuff from ‘ Bath and Body Works’! This is so unexpected! Thanks, you two.”

Emmy poured each of us a glass of nice red wine to go with our steaks as she told Melanie, “You are most welcome!”

I added, “Yeah Melanie, you were so generous with us, not to mention responsible for us meeting, it's really the least we could do!”

Emmy told Melanie, “Now that we're officially a couple, we are looking forward to dining as a couple at your restaurant, too!”

Melanie said with a grin, “You let me know when you are dining there and I'll make sure it's a very extraordinary evening for you guys. I'll fix something special that’s not even on the menu!”

“I don’t think that your tuna could ever be topped but we’d be thrilled to have you try,” Emmy said then giggled before turning to the Pam and Jenn. “And we want to thank Jenn and Pam too.”

I said, “Yeah, Pam, if it wasn't for your sage advice I would have never met the love of my life. I'm still trying to figure out how you pay you back for that!”

Along the same thoughts, Emmy said, “Thank you Jenn for your support, for encouraging me to take the class to begin with and for no doubt orchestrating the pool party.”

I said, “Yeah that was awfully sneaky of you guys!”

Emmy raised her wine glass and asked, “Shall we have a toast?”

Melanie responded, “What shall we drink to?”

Emmy suggested, “Jenn has said many times, that life’s what you make it. . .”

Pam interrupted, “That's what our Grandma told us ALL the time!”

Emmy looked at everyone at the table before she went on. “So I would like to thank all of you for making our life so darn amazing, and for encouraging us to live it to its fullest possibility.”

Everyone took a sip before I added, “I'd like to say a few words too! Just a few short weeks ago, it felt like finding my Miss Right was a hopeless endeavor. But, thankfully, I looked outside the box for an answer and found my Emily. I never knew what love was until I met you, Sweetheart! I love you Babe.”

Emmy and I kissed while Pam, Jenn and Melanie looked on and Emmy said, “Oh I love you Robbie!” Then Emmy raised her glass and announced, “To life!”

Everyone said in unison, “To life!” And then we enjoyed our fabulous meal. The look in Emmy’s face told me she was as happy as I was and we knew we were at the very beginning of what we both knew was going to be that ‘happily ever after’ relationship we’ve both been searching so long for. Our guests had a wonderful time and after all of the cleanup, Robert and I were in a hurry to get upstairs and celebrate in our own way. So there we went, away from the sleeping puppies, past the shadow box with our mementos, and up the stairs to make love as if it was the first time. . .